In New England: Down on the farms

Kim Foley MacKinnon

Wednesday

Jul 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2008 at 5:34 AM

We were on a weekend quest to find some "small town" fun. And we found it in an area the local tourist board calls the "Quiet Corner," the northeastern section of Connecticut framed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It was hard to believe that we were only an hour from Boston as my family of three sat in a wagon pulled by a tractor while dozens of bison swarmed around us angling for grain tossed over the side.

We were on a weekend quest to find some "small town" fun. And we found it in an area the local tourist board calls the "Quiet Corner," the northeastern section of Connecticut framed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The Creamery Brook Bison Farm in Brooklyn (860-779-0837; www.creamerybrookbison.com) is home to more than 100 bison. After our ride, we bought some bison jerky to bring home. At another stop, we picked up fresh goat cheese at Meadow Stone Farm (860-617-2982; www.meadowstonefarm.com). And in nearby Hampton, we admired the creatures at the Safe Haven Alpaca Farm (860-455-0054; www.safehavenalpaca.com) where two alpacas were born the very morning of our visit.

At every stop, our city-bred, 9-year-old daughter was delighted with seeing farm animals.

Our country accommodations were at the Inn at Tonmar in Pomfet, a b&b with just two rooms for visitors, owned by Martha and Tony Emilio (860-974-1583; $110 per night). After eating Martha Emilio's wonderful blueberry pancakes for breakfast (made with local berries), we followed her to Windsong Farm (860-974-3098) to pick our own. Charmingly, payment was by an honor system.

You might think there's not much going on at night in these parts but you'd be wrong. At the Mansfield Drive-In we saw "WALL-E." It was our daughter's first drive-in experience, and the first in years for my husband and me. Our amateur status was immediately clear when we saw others with chairs, blankets and coolers. We had just our car and snacks from the concession stand, but we still had a great time.

We enjoyed an exceptional dinner at the Golden Lamb Buttery, located in a converted barn on a 1,000-acre farm (860-774-4423; www.thegoldenlamb.com) in Brooklyn. with stunning views and just one seating a night, guests are encouraged to take their time and relax. Before dinner, there was a wagon ride complete with a guitar-toting singer. For dinner, you pick a main dish, then servers road through with various sides to try. Admittedly, it's a long affair for a child and at one point our daughter wandered off to explore.W e found her hanging out in the main barn with the farm cat.

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